當地時間4月2日，美國總統特朗普宣佈對貿易伙伴實施所謂“對等關稅”措施，然而在政策推行一週後（美東時間4月9日），美國政府意外宣佈授權對部分國家實施90天關稅暫緩措施。
特朗普稱，新的關稅旨在促進美國製造業發展並保護就業。但美國民眾普遍表示，加徵關稅不僅會導致進口商品價格上漲，還將推高整體物價水平。
來自得克薩斯州休斯敦的IT行業從業者韋恩對中國日報記者表示，他不需要經濟學家或媒體來告訴他關稅將如何影響他和他的家人。到週二（4月8日）結束時，其個人資產已縮水近50萬美元。
“我們本以為幾年後就能過上相對舒適的退休生活。但從目前的情況來看，我不確定了。”韋恩說。“這不僅僅是我們在股市中的損失，更多的是未來世界的不穩定性。”
"We were expecting a relatively comfortable retirement in a few years. I am not sure about that given the current situation," Wayne said. "It's not just about what we have lost in the stock market, but more about a future world of an unstable nature."
韋恩曾經歷過2000年的網際網路泡沫和2008年的全球金融危機，他表示，這一次他更擔心，因為關稅似乎打亂了全球經濟秩序，未來變得不可預測。
“經濟週期的起伏可能不再適用，因為這個市場波動是由政治而非經濟條件決定的。跳出當前的市場，我們還能期待經濟保持上升勢頭嗎？考慮到國內外發生的其他社會和政治變化，我對此沒有信心。”他說。
"The economic cycles of ups and downs may not apply anymore because this market sink is made by politics, not economic conditions. Can we still realistically expect an economy that will remain on an upward trajectory when we look beyond the current market? I am not feeling confident given other social and political changes occurring both domestically and internationally," he said.
新關稅政策無疑將推高美國民眾幾乎所有日用品的價格，哪怕是一杯咖啡。
進口咖啡豆烘焙商蔡凱茜（音譯）在接受中國日報記者採訪時說，在關稅宣佈的第二天，她的供應商就表示，咖啡豆價格上漲了很多。
行業資料顯示，咖啡豆價格在二月份已經創下新高，是一年前的兩倍。特朗普的新關稅意味著美國人將為一杯咖啡支付更高的價格。
They had already reached a record high in February, double the price of a year ago, according to industry data. Trump’s new tariffs mean Americans will pay even higher prices for a cup of coffee.
無人機拍攝的得克薩斯州錫布魯克貝波特集裝箱碼頭貨運卡車運輸場景 圖源：Adrees Latif / 路透社
“我們的咖啡豆主要來自南美國家，價格至少要上漲20%。”蔡說。她表示，這些咖啡豆的零售價通常在每磅（450克）18美元到24美元之間。
蔡稱：“隨著關稅引起的價格上漲，我們不得不提高售價，普通豆子可能會提高到20美元，特色豆子可能會提高到27美元。”
She said their retail prices usually range between $18 and $24 a pound (450 grams). "With the tariffs-induced price hike, we will have to bump up our prices, perhaps to $20 for our regular beans and to $27 for our specialty beans," she said.
特朗普推出的關稅政策幾乎波及美國經濟的每一個角落，不只是咖啡，服裝、鞋及家居用品等商品的價格也將普遍上漲。
"When sellers face higher costs, those expenses inevitably get passed on to consumers," he told China Daily. "This will ultimately lead to more severe inflation."
一批新馬自達汽車，這家日本車企正受25%進口汽車關稅政策衝擊 圖源：蓋蒂圖片社
他指出，雖然當前庫存水平尚未導致價格大幅上漲，但這種情況不會一直保持。
“一旦這批存貨售罄，下一波商品的價格肯定會大幅上漲，估計漲幅在5%到10%之間。”他說。由於關稅問題是全球性的，目前還沒有有效的應對措施。
He noted that while prices have not yet risen significantly due to current inventory levels, that will change soon. "Once this batch of inventory is sold out, the next wave of goods will definitely see a substantial price increase — estimated at 5 to 10 percent," he said, adding that there are currently no effective countermeasures to the tariffs, as the issue is a global one.
The impact will go beyond putting off projects such as bathroom or kitchen renovations, and make housing more unaffordable. The tariffs will also have a negative impact on rebuilding efforts following the major fires in California earlier this year, industry experts said.
工人於新墨西哥州搬運銅線卷軸。因擔憂紅銅進口關稅，美國銅價今年飆升。圖源：蓋蒂圖片社
Marc Saracco, a sales manager at wholesale distributor Capital Lumber Company in California, told a local news outlet that tariffs on lumber and appliances "would cost a homeowner between $30,000 and $40,000 per house".About 15,000 houses were burned down in Los Angeles, and the tariffs will add $600 million to the rebuild costs, he said.
就業機會減少 美國經濟衰退
全球關稅的全球擴散預計將衝擊國際與美國的就業市場。美國消費者新聞與商業頻道（CNBC）最近一項調查表明，69%的CEO預計經濟將出現衰退，其中半數認為衰退將在今年發生。摩根大通預測，今年美國經濟衰退的機率已升至60%。約37%的CEO表示將透過裁員抵消成本攀升，其中一名CEO對關稅表示了不滿，稱之為“特朗普衰退”。
A recent CNBC survey found that 69 percent of CEOs expect a recession, and half of them anticipate the downturn will come this year. JP Morgan has put the odds of a recession at 60 percent. About 37 percent of CEOs surveyed by CNBC said they expect to cut jobs to offset rising costs. One of them called it the "Trump recession", as the executives expressed discontent over the tariffs.
A large percentage of batteries used in electrical vehicles in the US are from China because its production capacity can't be replaced by any other country, he said.The US is buying a wide variety of Chinese battery cells for use in drones, medical equipment, and other high-tech and electronic equipment, and the average US consumer is not aware of this, he said.
集裝箱船“長賜永恆”號抵達舊金山港 圖源：Noah Berger / 美聯社
"If the trade war accelerates to a point that China starts to prohibit the export of those tier-one special batteries and cells to the US, it will spell trouble for us because it affects a wide range of equipment used in research labs and hospitals as well as by many suppliers of OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) in the US," said Daniel. He estimated that it will take the US at least five years to build a complete battery supply chain, because it currently has little access to the raw materials needed to make some of the batteries.
記者：May Zhou 辛聞
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